Thursday, December 29, 2011

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Isn’t it interesting that Simeon didn’t hear from an angel, but from the Holy Spirit. He spent so much time walking with God that the presence of the Holy Spirit was with him. What a glorious gift to bring to a man who had lived his life as a righteous and devout man – the assurance that he would see the Messiah.

What a moment this was for Simeon. The revelation from the Holy Spirit had been fulfilled. He held the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world in his arms.

I had a very dear friend, a man who walked with the Lord, who daily did the work of the Lord and to whom I am eternally grateful for his teaching. He felt that God had told him Christ would return before his death and he lived his life with that assurance. He listened so closely to the Spirit that one day when he was driving, he heard the Lord telling him to pull over and walk up to a house. He had no idea why, but he did so. When a young woman answered the door, he simply told her that God had sent him and he wasn’t sure why. She began to weep. She had served the last of the food to her children that morning and had eaten nothing herself for several days. Her family was about to starve and she could do nothing to change the outcome. Tommy recognized immediately that he stopped so that he could be God’s hands in this situation. He fed them a meal, stocked groceries for them and then helped the young woman find a job with child care. He walked with God because he expected God to use him.

Well, Tommy died several years ago and I found myself wondering at his absolute trust in God and that he heard God telling him Jesus would return while Tommy still lived. I spent a lot of time thinking about his words and have yet to fully understand the entire story. I doubt that I ever will while still here.

Simeon, though, saw the promise fulfilled in the eyes of a child. One day we will all see the promise of Christ’s return – whether we are still living or when we meet Him in heaven. I am confident that Tommy is in the presence of God and has seen the fulfillment of Christ’s return.

Simeon saw salvation that day. The greatest gift any of us can ever know.